Against all Hope: Resistance in the Nazi Concentration Camps

by Hermann Langbein, Harry Zohn (Translator)

"Inspiring and informative, this book fills large gaps in what we know about resistance in the concentration camps." - Kirkus Reviews Finally in paperback, in this major and comprehensive work, hailed by Le Monde as a "monumental study," Hermann Langbein shatters the myth that all prisoners of concentration camps, during World War II, passively let themselves be slaughtered. A prisoner himself and one of the leaders of resistance at Auschwitz, Langbein painstakingly documents the detailed account of the history of the camps and the story of the resistance. Spanning the initial years to the chaotic weeks before liberation, Against All Hope is the first systematic presentation of organized resistance. Deeply moving, it is an unforgettable testament to the resilience and determination of the human spirit.

Genres: History, Holocaust, Nonfiction, World War II

502 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1996

Reviews

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspiring and at times harrowing account of the various means prisoners of Nazi concentration camps challenged and opposed the regime.It beggars belief the things some of these people managed,from procuring arms to running schools for children,religious services and sabotage.It doesn't just concentrate on the Jewish experience but also the political prisoners,the Jehovahs Witnesses and Gypsies amongst others.
They didn't all survive but they kept their dignity and resisted to the end,an amazing read.

[Terri Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do I describe what it is like to read this book? Heartbreaking? Yes. It is definitely that. Inspiring? Oh yes, it is that too. This book focuses on the different people groups who were in the Nazi camps and the many from different groups who resisted and didn't just take the horrors lying down. I had to cheer them on even when I knew the terrible results that would befall them because I knew why they did it. If you get to that breaking point where you can't stand any more and you know they are going to kill you anyway, what do you have to lose? What you win is your self-respect and knowing you went down fighting. You also shout by your actions, "This is wrong! This is evil! I will fight evil to my final breath. You can kill me but you don't own me and I belong to myself so I win in the end!" That was the courageous message I got from them and it is so warm and inspiring that in that place of inhumanity, human beings degraded beyond belief held self-respect, honor, and dignity and asserted their humanity. Bravo to them all. May they rest in peace.

[Glenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

An inspiring and detailed account of unbeatable human spirit. But more importantly, full of useful information to help challenge western liberal myths around the Holocaust.

Written by a long-standing member of the Austrian Communist Party, but not a communist work. Langbein approaches this with a scholarly style, rather than a political one. He only rarely acknowledges the dominant narrative and myths his account challenges, or their significance.

The long quotations and first-hand accounts, heaped one after the other, make the general line difficult to follow at times.

Most interesting for a communist reading the book are the accounts of the communist political prisoners who played the premier role in resistance activities. This side of the story is almost entirely untold today.

[Eliana Lima · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not going to lie and say this wasn't a rough read but I'm glad I stuck with it because I learned a lot and gained a more nuanced understanding of the Holocaust. I knew that the concentration camps were filled with more than just Jewish people but before reading this I probably wouldn't have been able to name all the different types of inmates and their hierarchy within the camps. I also didn't really know about the psychological tactics, with the SS pitting inmates against inmates leading to some inmates becoming as cruel as the Nazis. Most of all I appreciated the academic integrity of this book. I don't think I've ever read something so dedicated to providing an unbiased view of a historical event. Every other paragraph Langbein is judging the credibility of anecdotes of inmates and justifying which sources he uses and which he omits. The book was also organized in a thoughtful manner, giving ample focus to each group of inmates and their role in the resistance. If anyone out there is doing research on the Holocaust, here's a good place to start.

[Clayton Brannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on the resistance movements within the Nazi Concentration camps you will ever read. A must read for all who have an interest in the Holocaust.

[Elijah · Rating 5 out of 5]

reading about the holocaust is not easy and it's hard to feel inspired when you feel like you're constantly being punched in the gut. this book, however, is an amazingly chronicled history of some of the bravest human beings ever and i was so humbled to read of such badass resistance in the face of unspeakable torture. it feels like a grave injustice that so many heroes will never been recognized, but i'm happy this book exists that will try to tell some of their stories. in fact, i was so moved by this book, that i got a tattoo to honor some of the courageous women from ravensbruk who did their damndest to screw with ss labor production.